Club futures come into focus for Americans playing abroad

With most soccer leagues in Europe either finished or within a few games of finishing, the future is becoming even more clear for the contingent of Americans playing overseas.

Steve Cherundolo's hopes of competing in the UEFA Champions League vanished over the weekend after Hannover 96's loss left the club five points out of the final Bundesliga spot in the competition with one match remaining in the season. He'll still have a place in Europe, as the team cemented a UEFA Europa League berth by guaranteeing, at worst, a fifth-place finish in the league. All things considered, it's not a bad accomplishment for a team that barely escaped relegation last season.

Sacha Kljestan's Champions League hopes seem to be dwindling as well, after Anderlecht fell in the seventh game of its 10-match playoff campaign in Belgium. Anderlecht trails Standard Liege by three points and a 13 goal-differential for second place and its accompanying Champions League qualifying spot with three matches remaining. Anderlecht is in prime position to at the very least join Hannover in the Europa League.

Maurice Edu could easily return to the Champions League as Rangers continues to lead the Scottish Premier League table with two games remaining. Edu's side controls its own destiny and would win the domestic title with victories over Dundee United and Kilmarnock over the next two weekends.

As for those in the promotion hunt, Robbie Findley could be on the fast track to the Premier League after Nottingham Forest clinched a spot in the League Championship promotion playoff. Should Forest win the four-team competition, he'd join already-promoted Zak Whitbread and Norwich City in England's top flight.

One American who they could supplant in the Premiership is Jonathan Spector, whose West Ham faces a do-or-die relegation clash with Wigan Athletic this weekend. The Hammers need a win just to have a chance at staving off relegation in the season's final week.

Over in Turkey, Freddy Adu helped his Caykur Rizespor team get into the promotion picture with a goal over the weekend. The tally was Adu's fourth since joining Rizespor and second in as many matches, and the club will take part in the promotion playoff with a win or a Boluspor loss in this weekend's regular-season finales.

Adu wasn't the only American to score over the weekend, as Edson Buddle, Alejandro Bedoya and Matt Taylor also found the back of the net. Here's how they and the rest of the Americans playing abroad fared over the past week (statistics encompass all competitions):

Conor Doyle, F, Derby County - In the 18, came on as an 81st-minute substitute in Derby's season-ending 2-1 loss to Reading on Saturday. SEASON: 15 games, 5 starts

Robbie Findley, F, Nottingham Forest - Not in the 18 for Nottingham Forest's 3-0 victory over Crystal Palace on Saturday. With the win, Forest clinched a spot in the league's four-team promotion playoff. SEASON: 2 games

Eddie Johnson, F, Preston North End - Not in the 18 for Preston North End's season-ending 3-1 victory over Watford on Saturday. Preston North End was relegated to League One, and Johnson's contract with parent club Fulham expires this summer. SEASON: 27 games, 15 starts

Eric Lichaj, D, Leeds United - Started, played 90 minutes in Leeds' season-ending 2-1 victory over Queens Park Rangers on Saturday. Leeds finished three points and one place out of the promotion playoff and will remain in the league championship next year. Lichaj's loan to Leeds expired with the team's season ending, and he has returned to parent club Aston Villa. SEASON: 24 games, 22 starts

Zak Whitbread, D, Norwich City - Started, played 90 minutes in Norwich City's season-ending 2-2 draw with Coventry City on Saturday. Whitbread, who has another year left on his contract with the Canaries, will accompany the team to the Premier League next season barring a transfer. SEASON: 23 games, 21 starts 1 goal

League One

Anton Peterlin, M, Plymouth Argyle - Started, played 90 minutes in Plymouth Argyle's season-ending 4-1 loss to Leyton Orient on Saturday. The club was relegated to League Two, although it would have been clear of the drop zone had it not been docked 10 points for going into administration earlier this year. SEASON: 13 games, 10 starts

Frank Simek, D, Carlisle United - Started, played 34 minutes in Carlisle's season-ending 2-0 loss to Yeovil Town on Saturday. Simek suffered a dislocated left elbow and had to be subbed off. He had played every minute of every match this season up to that point. SEASON: 56 games, 56 starts

League Two

Jon-Paul Pittman, F, Wycombe Wanderers - In the 18, came on as a 90th-minute substitute in Wycombe's season-ending 3-1 victory over Southend on Saturday. Wycombe secured promotion to League One with the victory. SEASON: 21 games, 10 starts, 7 goals

Bundesliga

DaMarcus Beasley, M, Hannover 96 - Not in the 18 for Hannover's 2-1 loss to VfB Stuttgart on Saturday. SEASON: 4 games

Steve Cherundolo, D, Hannover 96 - Started, played 84 minutes in Hannover's 2-1 loss to VfB Stuttgart on Saturday. With the loss, Hannover cannot qualify for the UEFA Champions League next season but clinched a place in the UEFA Europa League. SEASON: 33 games, 33 starts

Ricardo Clark, M/D, Eintracht Frankfurt - Not in the 18 for Frankfurt's 2-0 loss to FC Cologne on Saturday. With one match remaining, Clark's side is in the drop zone and needs a victory to avoid certain relegation. SEASON: 12 games, 9 starts

Daniel Williams, D, SC Freiburg - In the 18, came on as a 68th-minute substitute in Freiburg's 2-0 loss to Borussia Monchengladbach on Saturday. SEASON: 8 games, 2 starts

2. Bundesliga

Edson Buddle, F, FC Ingolstadt 04 - In the 18, came on as a halftime substitute and scored a 61st-minute goal to level the score in Ingolstadt's 1-1 draw with TSV 1860 Munich on Sunday. Buddle cut through two defenders with a nifty move on the right and curved a left-footed shot that took a deflection and found the upper left-hand corner of the goal. SEASON: 14 games, 7 starts, 3 goals

Freddy Adu, M, Caykur Rizespor - Started, played 90 minutes and scored the eventual game-winning goal in the 29th minute of Rizespor's 3-1 victory over Tavsanli Linyitspor on Sunday. Adu connected on a diving header from the center of the box to give Rizespor a 2-0 lead. With one game remaining in the regular season, Rizespor currently holds a spot in the league's four-team promotion playoff but has not yet clinched it. SEASON: 10 games, 8 starts, 4 goals

Dominic Cervi, GK, Celtic FC - Not in the 18 for Celtic's 3-2 loss to Inverness Caledonian Thistle on Wednesday or for a 2-0 victory over Kilmarnock on Saturday. SEASON: 0 games

Maurice Edu, M, Rangers FC - Started, played 72 minutes and picked up a yellow card in Rangers' 4-0 victory over Heart of Midlothian on Saturday. Rangers is nursing a one-point lead over Celtic for the Premier League title with two matches remaining in the season. SEASON: 45 games, 38 starts, 5 goals

Primera Division

Jonathan Bornstein, M/D, Tigres UANL - In the 18, came on as a halftime substitute and was taken off in the 73rd minute of Tigres' 3-1 loss to Chivas de Guadalajara in the first leg of their playoff quarterfinal tie on Wednesday. Bornstein was not in the 18 for Tigres' 1-1 draw with Chivas in the return leg on Saturday. Chivas advanced to the semifinals on a 4-2 aggregate, and Bornstein's (and Tigres') season is over. SEASON: 7 games, 4 starts

Sonny Guadarrama, M, Atlante - In the 18, came on as an 87th-minute substitute in Atlante's 2-1 loss to Cruz Azul in the first leg of their playoff quarterfinal tie on Wednesday. Guadarrama started and played 67 minutes in Atlante's 0-0 draw with Cruz Azul in the return leg on Saturday. Cruz Azul advanced to the semifinals on a 2-1 aggregate, and Guadarrama's (and Atlante's) season is over. SEASON: 9 games, 1 start

Michael Parkhurst, D, FC Nordsjaelland - In the 18, did not play in Nordsjaelland's 0-0 draw with Randers FC in the second leg of their Landspokal (Danish Cup) semifinal tie on Wednesday. Nordsjaelland won on aggregate, 1-0, and advances to the final where it will defend its 2010 title against FC Midtjylland. Parkhurst was also in the 18 but did not play in Nordsjaelland's 2-0 loss to Esbjerg in league play on Sunday. SEASON: 19 games, 18 starts

Alejandro Bedoya, M, Orebro SK - Started, played 90 minutes and scored in the 25th minute of Orebro's 2-1 loss to Kalmar on Friday. Bedoya cut down the center and received a pass after a Kalmar turnover, took a couple of touches and scored from straightaway to level the score at 1-1. SEASON: 7 games, 7 starts, 3 goals

Ryan Miller, D, Halmstads BK - In the 18, did not play in Halmstads' 2-0 loss to Djurgardens IF on Saturday. SEASON: 1 game

Avi Creditor is a freelance writer based in Washington, D.C.

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